Reflections on CILIPS26 – Charged full of ideas

Category: Blog

Reflections by Lauren MacIntyre, Campus Librarian, Scotland’s Rural College

I was delighted to be awarded the CILIPS Professional Development Fund to attend Day 1 of this year’s CILIPS Conference. The theme was ‘Amplifying Impact’ and the conference was charged full of ideas to demonstrate this.

The first powerful keynote was delivered by Mairi Kidd. Mairi discussed the importance of having the freedom to read whatever you want, and how this is affected not only by choice but also ability. Mhairi also highlighted that libraries are for everyone and should be available for open discussion, which is important to remember as we strive towards ensuring equality of access to our spaces and resources.

I attended Jeanette Castle’s insightful session discussing her research project ‘The Impact of Scottish Public Libraries on Loneliness: A Research Journey’, which emphasised the importance of libraries for vulnerable people. I’m particularly interested in how libraries can support wellbeing, and Jeanette highlighted that we don’t necessarily think about loneliness when designing our services, which is something I will aim to consider in future.

I next attended Joshua Cheyne’s session ‘Shaping Research Questions: What Systematic Search Practice Reveals about Research Support in Academic Librarianship’. This was useful and demonstrated the need to decipher what students are really asking for when they request help, and to remember that information searching is an intellectual effort as well as a technical activity. These are important considerations that I will keep in mind as I go into the new academic year.

After a lovely networking lunch, I attended the session about ‘Let’s Stride’, a joint project between Strathclyde University and Glasgow Life. I think the project sounds fantastic, and that it aims to get people moving, learning and to open the Mitchell Library’s Special Collections to people who may not usually view them is such a positive.

The second keynote was a Q&A between Sheelagh Toonen and YA authors Margaret McDonald and Nathaniel Lessore. I was interested to hear what both authors said about the responsibility we have in tackling complex issues, for example, intolerance and the rise of the manosphere. They also discussed the importance of third spaces such as libraries, and the role they can play in providing a safe and inclusive space.

The last keynote came from author and economic commentator Grace Blakeley, who discussed why libraries are important to democratising the economy. Grace highlighted that although libraries are important for our political and economic education, and that they embody how we build our collective life, since 2010 over 800 public libraries have closed in the UK. This is an important reflection as we continually strive to demonstrate our worth in our communities.

I really enjoyed the conference and thought this year’s theme was a powerful one that was well communicated by all the speakers. I really enjoyed the opportunity to learn about the activities of others in the wider library and information sector and to network. Thank you CILIPS for providing me with the opportunity to attend the Conference, and I hope to see you again next year!